They call Draft fantasy for the people, and why not? It’s easy as Sunday morning. Sign up at Draft.com, do a quick snake draft of 3, 4, 6 or 10 players, and get a piece of the payouts. Here at Razzball, we recommend using Value-Based Drafting (VBD) to make the most of your roster. Using Rudy’s tools, you can easily sort values and take the projected points for the final player drafted at each position (P, IF, OF) and subtracting from all the players at that position, then re-ranking based on VBD. In other words, Razzball will give you the inside knowledge you need to dominate your DFS opponents.
It’s no accident that this blog has taken on a burnt orange hue when recommending starting pitchers. The Houston Astros are lassoing the competition with a MLB-league-leading ERA. And the main buckaroo is the intimidating, hard-throwing man who’s proving you can go home again: Gerrit Cole. This ace is having an incredible season with a 2.59 ERA, .894 WHIP and 12.3 K/9, and today faces off against the lowly Kansas City Royals. Grab Cole with your top pick and ride that Texas pony to a win. Now let’s look at a few more early-, middle- and late-round picks for your Draft…drafts!
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Domingo German, SP: Middle – The little Yankee that could, German has been trending up. Today he faces the Tampa Bay Rays, a team he beat 2 starts ago with 10 strikeouts in 6 innings. A worthy mid-round pick.
Carlos Rodon, SP: Late – This former 1st-round pick is starting to turn it around after a late start to the season, and today faces off against the Oakland A’s. The fighting A’s only hit him to a .231 batting average. A worthy late-round pick if you want to stack your lineup in a larger draft.
Gary Sanchez, IF: Early – The Kraken is ready to feast today. He’s teeing it up off Matt Andriese, who’s had it a little rough lately (in his last start, he earned 2 runs in 2.2 innings pitched); meanwhile, Sanchez has an .818 OPS and 1 home run off him.
David Peralta, OF: Early – The man known as Freight Train is having a great season and today gets to hit at PNC Park in Pittsburgh, where he has a .343 batting average and .911 OPS for his career. Even better, he’s facing Trevor Williams, whom he has hit to a .429 batting average and 1.357 OPS.
Nelson Cruz, IF: Middle – Cruz is the main cog in the middle of the surprising Seattle lineup. His team has the tough task of facing Chris Sale of the Red Sox, but that’s no problem for Cruz. He handles Sale to a .308 batting average and .896 OPS. The game is at Fenway in Boston, where Cruz has 8 home runs, a .336 batting average, and .994 OPS for his career.
Eric Thames, OF: Middle – Thames is just getting back into action, but against young Luke Weaver of the St. Louis Cardinals, he’s hit .286 with a 1.587 OPS. And the game is at the cozy confines of Miller Park in Milwaukee, where Thames has a career .958 OPS.
Josh Phegley, IF: Late – The man who has gone by PTBNL is a great late-round target today. He’s the one shining spot in the A’s lineup against the White Sox’s Carlos Rodon: .375 batting average with a 1.319 OPS.
Ian Happ, OF: Late – Mr. Happ has only 3 at-bats against Sal Romano of the Reds, but he’s hit 2 home runs in those 3 at-bats. Consider the game is at the Great American Ballpark in Cincinnati, where Happ has his .406 with a 1.618 OPS, including 5 home runs, and it all adds up to a delicious late-round winning pick.
I’m Only Happy When It Rains
It’s a bit of a crazy day out there today, so keep up to date on the weather. There are thunderstorms forecast in Boston for Red Sox and Mariners, and in Minnesota for the Rangers and Twins. There’s a headwind in Colorado for Rockies-Marlins — and the chance of a thunderstorm. The hitters will be helped by the breeze blowing out in Kansas City for Royals and Astros, in San Francisco for Giants and Padres, and in Pittsburgh for Pirates and Diamondbacks (where there’s also a chance of rain).
Doing Lines In Vegas
Stack ’em, pack ’em and rack ’em: The highest projected runs scored today are the Rockies (6.02) vs the Marlins, the Marlins (5.49) at the Rockies, and the Red Sox (5.19) vs the Mariners.
The best and the brightest: The biggest favorites today are the Astros (-331) vs the Royals, the Red Sox (-237) vs the Mariners, and the Braves (-190) vs the Orioles.
